Refrigeration



March 2 4, 1 942. 'l

w. JOM-:sI

REFRIGERATION Filed Aug. ,1. 1940 Patented Mar. 24, 1942 Umso STATES OFFICE BEFBIGERATION Delaware Application August l,

8 (Halma.

This invention relates to refrigeration, and more particularly to` features of construction and methods of operation employed in connection with a centrifugal refrigeration compressor having a pluralityf stages of compression, assembled in combination with a brine or water cooler, a condenser and related auxiliary elements.

important features of the invention reside in the arrangement of an economizer structure located within the cooler at one end thereof, preferably the end opposite the suction connection, and forming an integral part of the cooler structure; and in the provision of two float chambers superposed one above the other for allowing refrigerant gas admitted from the condenser into the upper or condenser float cham-ber to fiash into an economizer chamber, the iiash gas being routed directly to an advanced stage of compression, thereby effecting economy in power consumption, and increasing the capacity of the initial stages of compression of the compressor.

These and other features will be apparent from the following detailed description of a typical form of the invention to be read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic View of a cooler or evaporator shell structure within which applicants economizer is located.

Fig. 2 shows a refrigerant cycle in which the function of applicants economizer is illustrated,

I and Fig. 3 is an elevational view of the cooler, broken away in part to illustrate the economizer assembly.

Considering the drawing, similar designations refer to similar parts, numeral 4 represents a shell and tube cooler of the type illustrated in my co-pending application Serial No. 349,155, filed concurrently herewith. The refrigerant cycle and combination ofv apparatus in which cooler is employed is preferably that described in my said copending application. The economizer structure generally designated by the numeral 5 is located in the cooler shell preferably at the end opposite suction connection 6.

The cooler shell contains a tube bundle as illustrated in my said copending application, the tubes preferably being finned. The economizer chamber is positioned above the tube bundle in the cooler shell and is entirely separate from the cooler gas space.

In effect, the economizer is a chamber connected by an internal conduit 1 passing lon'gitudinally through the cooler gas space to an ad- 1940, Serial No. 349.156 (Cl. 62l15) concentric with shell 4, and drains into an upper A chamber ll called a condensate oat chamber. Float valve i2 in chamber Il keeps the condenser drained of refrigerant and through orifice' i3 admits th'e refrigerant from the condenser into the economizer chamber. chamber is at lower pressure than that of the condenser since the conduit connecting the chamber to the compressor goes directly to the intake of the second stage of compression. As a result, there will be flashing of refrigerant in the economizer chamber, the flash gas going to the second stage of compression, thereby saving the power otherwise expended in compressing this gas in the first stage of compression. The refrigerant less the ash gas, still in liquid form, drains into economizer float chamber i4 through passage I5. Float valve I6 controls orifice l1' to admit refrigerant to passage i8 which may be concentric with shell 4. f1`he refrigerant enters the cooler through a bottom intake I9 shown in Fig. 2 and iioods upwardly through the tube bundle of the cooler. The oat' valves may be suitably screened to prevent sticking due to foreign matter getting into the valve mechanism.

As shown in Fig. l, the flash" gas before entering the conduit 1' leading from chamber l passes through eliminator 20' which extracts en- 40 trained liquid refrigerant and drains it backint chamber l.

The operation of the economizer may be noted from the refrigerant flow diagram shown in Fig. 2 which illustrates the refrigeration cycle and the function of the economizer. Starting from condenser 2l which contains a tube bundle as described in applicants copending application and illustrated in Fig. 2 by a water course 22, the condensed refrigerant first flows into con' densate chamber Il. Float valve I2 regulates the ow of refrigerant into chamber 'l connected by conduit 1' to the second stage of two-stage compressor 8. Chamber 'I and its connected conduit l' actually comprise an uninterrupted vanced stage of compression of compressor 8. passage throughout which the pressure is the The economizer same, intermediate between the condenser and cooler pressures. Reduced pressure in chamber 1 forces a fiashing of gas which passes from chamber 1 through conduit 1 into the second stage of compression. The remaining liquid refrigerant enters chamber Il and ows therefrom under control of valve IB through passage Il into cooler 4 which is equipped with a tubebundle diagrammatically illustrated by the water course 23. f

By eliminating the iiash gas which is routed from the economizer directly to the second stage of compression, the capacity of the first stage to admit working gas is increased by an amount corresponding to that drawn off in the economizer. The second stage is designed to admit the gas compressed in the first stage plus the ash gas from the economizer. The capacity of the compressor is increased because in general the capacity limit of a compressor is to a great extent dependent on the amount of gas which can be admitted into the inlet of the first stage.

Since the economizer, in structure, is part of the cooler and Within the cooler shell, a great saving is effected in space as well as in cost of piping and insulation.

In effect, applicant provides in his economizer a structure which progressively reduces refrigerant pressure in its course from condenser to cooler, at the same time effecting a separation of gas from liquid to increase the refrigeration capacity of the system.

As a further aid to efficiency, applicant provides bypass connection 24 which, `in effect, is a bypass from the condenser to the economizer since it connects an area under condenser pressure to an area under economizer pressure which is a lesser pressure intermediate condenser and cooler pressures. Bypass 24 is controlled by valve 25 and with the bypass open flashing may directly take place with a routing-of flash gas to the second stage of the compressor. Applicants arrangement may be utilized instead of and is preferable to that of a bypass from condenser to evaporator since the capacity of the iirst stage is increased by that of the flash gas which passes through the bypass to the second stage.

Since many changes may be made in the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter set forth in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing, be regarded as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: l. An economizer arrangement of the characl ter described comprising a first chamber, a second chamber at a level below the first chamber, means for automatically feeding refrigerant from a condenser to the first chamber, an orifice in each chamber, and means for regulating the opening of said orice whereby refrigerant in desired volume will first be admitted from the first chamber to a third chamber to effect separation of vapor therefrom, then be admitted to the second chamber, and finally be admitted from the second chamber to a cooler.

2. In a refrigeration system of the character described, a cooler of the shell and tube type,

a condenser, a multi-stage refrigerant compressorl operatively associated with said cooler and condenser, an economizer comprising a plurality of refrigerant compartments, said economizer being positioned within said cooler, and means for routing liquid refrigerant from the condenser to one portion of the economizer maintained at a pressure j less than that of the condenser and greater than that of the cooler so that a portion of the refrigerant is vaporized, means for routing the vaporized refrigerant to an advanced stage of compression of the compressor, and means for routing the remainder of the liquid refrigerant to the cooler.

3. In a refrigeration system of the character described, a cooler, a condenser, a multi-stage refrigerant compressor operatively associated with said cooler and condenser, an economizer, and means for routing liquid refrigerant from the condenser to one portion of the economizer maintained at a pressure less than that of the condenser and greater than that ofthe cooler so that a portion of the refrigerant is vaporized, means for routing the vaporized refrigerant to an advanced stageof compression of the compressor, and means for routing the remainder of the liquid refrigerant to the cooler, said economizer having parts thereof connected to the condenser, the cooler, and an advanced stage of compression of the compressor, said economizer being located within the cooler at one end therefor progressively reducing the pressure of refrigerant routed from the condenser to the` cooler, said means effecting a separation of refrigerant vapor from refrigerant liquid, and comprising a first oat chamber connected to the condenser and vto an advanced stage of compression of said compressor, a second float chamber communicative with said first chamber, and means for delivering refrigerant liquid from said second float chamber to a bottom portion of the cooler.

5. In a .refrigeration system of the character described, the combination of a. compressor, a cooler and a condenser operatively associated with the compressor, means associated with said cooler for progressively reducing the pressure of refrigerant routed from the condenser to the cooler, said means effecting a separation of refrigerant vapor from refrigerant liquid, means for delivering such refrigerant liquid to the cooler, and means for delivering the separated refrigerant vapor to the compressor, said lastmentioned means comprising a chamber, an internal conduit Within the cooler running longitudinally thereof connecting said chamber to an advanced stage of compression of said compressor, and an eliminator at the entrance to said conduit.

6. In a refrigeration system of the character described, a compressor, a cooler and a condenser operatively associated with the compressor, means associated with said cooler for progressively reducing the pressure of refrigerant routed from .the condenser to the cooler, said means effecting a separation of refrigerant vapor from refrigerant ond passage concentric with the cooler shell connecting said second trap to the cooler.

7. in economizer apparatus of the character described comprising a first chamber, means for supplying liquid refrigerant to said first cham- Y ber, means for delivering refrigerant from said chamber to an area of lower pressure than that obtaining in said rst chamber, means respon# sive to variations in liquid level in said irst cham@ A ber for regulating such delivery, means for withdrawing from said area flash vapor formed as an incident to the delivery of refrigerant to such area, 'a second chamber, means for delivering refrigerant liquid from said area to said second chamber, means for delivering refrigerant liquid fromvsaid second chamber for evaporation, and means responsive to variations in' liquid level in said second chamber for .regulating the delivery `0:! refrigerant from said second chamber. Y

8. An apparatus as described in claim 'l including means forming a .downwardly extending passageway between said first and second chambers permitting gravitational iiow of refrigerant 10 liquid from the rst tothe second chamber.

WALTER JONES. 

